Dubai: On April 8, 1961, the UAE witnessed one of the worst maritime incidents in history; and the largest significant event after the Titanic.
An explosion on the MV Dara claimed the lives of 238 passengers and crew, while 584 were rescued from the ship.
The tragedy of the Dara passenger liner remains close to the hearts of the survivors’ family members, and as the 60th anniversary approaches, authorities in Umm Al Quwain have announced that it is in its final stage of launching site of the sunken ship as a cultural and tourist destination.
“The stories of the shipwreck are still repeated among the people in the Emirates whenever the anniversary of the event arrives,” said the Department of Tourism and Antiquities in Umm Al Quwain.
“We have signed a number of partnerships and MoUs [memorandum of understanding] with strategic partners to promote this historical story as a cultural and tourism site, which was part of the second phase of our strategic plan. The third and final stage will involve the sustainability phase, which includes promoting the site in international and local exhibitions,” said the department.
The MV Dara was built by the British-India Steam Navigation Company after the Second World War in 1948, which accommodated 1451 passengers and a crew of 200 sailors led by Captain Charles Ellison.
The MV Dara initially set off from Bombay on March 23, 1961, as she made her way on a three-week circular route around the Gulf ports of Muscat, Dubai, Bahrain, Abadan and Basra. It arrived in Dubai on April 7, and as it was unloading cargo and disembarking passengers, a storm broke out. The captain had then decided to take the ship out of harbour and travel into the storm.
The next morning, a large explosion occurred onboard, which started a series of fires. As a result of the explosion, the 5,030 tonne-vessel sunk and has been slowly rusting in the seabed of Umm Al Quwain ever since.
